This invention relates to an improved reel type lawn mower and, in particular, to a reel type mower wherein uniform constant pressure is maintained between the blades of the reel and the bedknife of the machine.
In most conventional reel type lawn mowers, the relative position of the bedknife or the reel can be adjusted or leveled to bring the blades of the reel and the bedknife into proper alignment across the transverse width of the assembly. The adjusting mechanism usually provides for a positive fixed setting of the reel in relation to the bedknife. Once the desired setting is attained, the mechanism is locked in place in an effort to maintain the desired setting and thus avoid chatter, uneven wear and binding of the reel blades with the bedknife.
As is well known in the art, the reel blades become worn with usage thereby requiring constant resetting of the adjusting mechanism. In cases where the mower is subjected to excessive use, as for example, on golf courses, the adjusting mechanism oftentimes must be reset on a daily basis. As the blade wear becomes more pronounced, adjustment becomes more difficult because the helical reel blades typically do not wear uniformly over the length of the blade. To counter this nonuniform wear, the bedknife sometimes is twisted in the machine frame by applying varying forces at either end of the bedknife. The amount of twisting that can be accomplished, however, is rather limited and blade binding becomes a problem. Frequent back lapping of the blades is also required to keep the blades in condition for efficient mowing.